Review of Harris Methodist Hospital Emergency Room in Azle, TX

I recently had the misfortune of having to visit a local Emergency Room. The other night I slipped and fell in a Walmart, injuring my knee. They didn't agree to call an ambulance so I went home to rest my leg and ice it. Of course the next day, my knee got worse and worse, so off to the emergency room I went, arriving at approximately 5 pm. I was driven to Harris Methodist Hospital in Azle, Texas and I signed in.

I'm not going to attempt to review or give my uneducated opinion about Harris Methodist Hospital as a whole. I have no clue what goes on beyond the emergency department. Besides, I'm not a doctor nor a hospital administrator, for all I know it's a ghastly place, but the face the emergency room gives to the hospital is a good one.

First, the parking is very convenient and readily available. There are steps down to the doorway as well as a handicap ramp. Why do they make those things so long anyway? This isn't the only time I've run across an excessively long handicap ramp but I've always wondered why.

Among the first things I noticed once inside was how well lit and clean the waiting area is. It's not a large area but adequate. The floor was spotless. Sorry, but I notice these things at hospitals. The employees were very gracious and pleasant as well as helpful. I filled out the necessary forms, saw the triage nurse almost immediately and waited my turn. Mind you, I wasn't bleeding and didn't have a fever so I settled in for a long wait as there were several people already waiting. The next thing I noticed was that the snack machine area was also very clean. Please don't laugh. The emergency room in my former hometown hospital had nasty machines and the floor around them usually had spilled coffee on it.

My wait turned out to be very pleasant and brief, relatively speaking. It impressed me. The young children seemed to be taken first, then a woman who was decidedly uncomfortable, then myself and a 10 year old boy who turned out to have an injury similar to mine. Were they empty? No, not at all. During my wait, which was under an hour, a steady stream of patients came out from the door of the care area.

Once situated at a bed, a nurse took the obligatory blood pressure, pulse and temperature readings. Not long afterward the doctor came in to examine my injury. Then he explained that I would need x-rays and left. X-rays done I was back to the bed to await the verdict. Every once in a while someone came to ask me how I was, did I need anything. Wow. Shortly afterward a nice young technician brought me a knee immobilizer and crutches and showed me how to use them. Then an RN brought my after care paper work in explaining it in detail. This paper work amazingly enough wasn't a carbon copy. Have you ever seen those things that some hospitals give out. The instructions you can barely read because they don't press on the carbon paper heavily enough and the instructions are handwritten? Not these. These instructions were on regular computer paper, marked "copy". They were very detailed. They call it "Exitcare Patient Information." The physician who saw me had his name clearly typed into the form. Imagine that. The nurse asked me who my primary care physician is but I don't have one in my new home yet. Guess what? The information pages also included a number to call, associated with Harris Methodist Hospital. It's called the Well Call number. When I called it the next day, they very nicely helped me find a doctor.

This type of exit care isn't brand new at Harris Methodist either, the document's original date before updates is 2006. The Harris Methodist Hospital Emergency Department in Azle, Texas is part of a group of hospitals that come under the umbrella of Texas Health Resources. They can be located on the internet at www.texashealth.com. Their motto is "Healing Hands. Caring Hearts." From this experience I have to agree with that assessment.

My knee injury? A possible torn meniscus. I'll recover just fine. And thanks to the good people at Harris Methodist Emergency Department, I've got a good start.